OHUB Assessment: Blue Collar Baits – Finger Lure

Here in South Louisiana, having a go-to plastic paddle-tail minnow is essential to catching fish in the marsh. I had the opportunity to try out a new bait that hit the market recently called the Finger Lure made by Blue Collar Baits. The bait is a traditional paddle-tail lure that measures 3.5 inches and comes in five different colors. I made a trip to Lake Borgne to try out these plastics on a foggy morning in November. My first stop was a shoreline with baitfish being chased by speckled trout. I tied on a Finger Lure in the Head Hunter color which is a light chartreuse on top with a white pearl stomach. I was using a 1/4 oz. jig head and began throwing it toward the shoreline popping it on the bottom.

The first thing that I noticed was that the paddle-tail had very good resistance as I popped it, which is a good quality in my book. After a few minutes, I switched over to fishing the lure under a popping cork but struck out as it just wasn’t what the fish wanted. I knew the trout were there because of the explosions I saw as baitfish scattered across the water’s surface. I wasn’t able to catch any trout for about 30 minutes, however, I figured out how the fish wanted the bait presented when I decided to retrieve it steadily along the middle water column. As I was retrieving it I saw a trout come from behind and engulf it.

I set the hook and boat-flipped a 14-inch speck onto the bow of the boat. It seems like that was the ticket as I was able to catch 16 trout ranging from 13″-19″. The lure had spectacular movement with a slight wobble back and forth caused by the unique paddle tail. I was using a Death Grip jig head which kept the Finger Lure on tight without slipping down the hook while I was catching fish. Another thing that I noticed with this lure is that it held up all morning. I was able to use the same lure without it ripping or tearing. When I returned home I ordered two more colors (Night Shift and Kai Dog) for my next trip in the winter.

In conclusion, I thought the paddle-tails were very durable and more importantly, caught plenty of speckled trout. I would recommend these Finger Lures for anyone who is targeting speckled trout and redfish on their next saltwater fishing trip.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award winning outdoor journalist that resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outdoor column for the Slidell Independent Newspaper. He also writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Commission’s LouisianaNorthshore.com and Louisiana Northshore Explore Magazine. He is the former host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Show and is on the board of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. Keith contributes to numerous publications both online and in print and prides himself on promoting South Louisiana’s unique fishery.